Nesterka and Spriditis became the heroes of the first Belarusian-Latvian bilingual cartoon

March 22, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. The premiere of the first Belarusian-Latvian animated film took place in Glubokoye. Its creators were schoolchildren from two friendly cities, Glubokoye and Ludza (Latvia), participants of the European project "Visualization of Latvian and Belarusian Folklore in the Formation of a Cross-Border Artistic Bridge," the chairman of the Glubokoye District Council of Deputies, Alexander Kolbasich, told a BELTA correspondent. Two dozen young animators aged 12-15 worked for a whole year on the creation of the animated film. They visited each other, learned about the history and culture, studied the rituals and customs of Belarus and Latvia, came up with scripts, drew sketches, and then, using modern computer programs, created their film in a real animation studio and voiced it. The animated film "How Nesterka and Spridis Searched for Happiness" tells the story of the journey of two boys: the Latvian Spridis to Belarus and the Belarusian Nesterka to Latvia. Along the way, they bake bread, heal birds, and perform various tasks assigned to them by border guards, bath attendants, and even frogs. In the end, they help a hedgehog and a frog regain their true appearance – to become a prince and princess and get married. Interestingly, all the characters in the film speak their native languages – Belarusian and Latvian. The first viewers of the animated film were the peers of its creators, and judging by their feedback, they really liked it and it did not cause significant translation difficulties. As befits serious cinematic works, the film will be presented at a film competition. The jury of the international film festival "Magnificat," which is held annually in Glubokoye, will evaluate the Belarusian-Latvian animated film in the "Animation" nomination this summer. The joint Belarusian-Latvian project "Visualization of Latvian and Belarusian Folklore in the Formation of a Cross-Border Artistic Bridge" was implemented within the framework of the Norwegian cross-border cooperation project. About 60 thousand euros were allocated for its implementation. As Alexander Kolbasich noted, participation in this project was another step towards strengthening ties between the two regions. Despite the fact that the work on the animated film has been completed, the friendly contacts established between the schoolchildren, their teachers, and the educational and cultural institutions of the two regions remain. Now Glubokoye and Ludza are developing another joint project, which will be submitted for participation in the European program "Belarus-Lithuania-Latvia." -0-